"The last thing they'd need would be more work": Subway's decision to ditch pre-sliced meat leaves internet divided

In a bid to promote its tagline "Eat Fresh," Subway is bidding goodbye to pre-sliced meat. Starting this month, restaurants across the country will be slicing meat in the store to make sandwiches. Previously, the chain used to ship pre-sliced meat to each of its restaurants across the country.

In August last year, the fast food restaurant chain announced that it would be installing automatic "in-store slicers" in over 22,000 of its restaurants across the country. Since then, the Connecticut-based restaurant chain has been adding these slicers to its restaurants, region after region.

Similar attempts have been made by the chain's competitors in the last few years, including Jersey Mikes, which even highlights the in-store meat slicing in its advertisements. But looking at the bigger picture, while Jersey Mike's employees slice the meat in front of the customers, Subway plans to follow a batch-slicing process that is expected to be done during the morning and afternoon hours.

All Subway restaurants across the country will be switching to in-store meat slicing for all sandwiches (Image via Subway)

While the fast food restaurant chain has great hopes with its "in-store" slicing, it does not seem to be working very well for the chain. News of the fast food restaurant chain ditching pre-sliced meat has left the internet divided as users continue to share their views on social media.

Pulling attention towards how this could affect Subway restaurants, which are usually under-staffed, a user commented on a Reddit post saying:

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How did the internet react to Subway ditching pre-sliced meat?

Being one of the few sandwich restaurant chains that allows customers to build their own custom sandwiches, the Connecticut-based restaurant chain seems to have lost its popularity among sandwich lovers.

Customers have long claimed that the chain serves mediocre food at comparatively high prices. Following the fall in its popularity, the restaurant chain has tried several things to woo customers, including month-long Subway discounts, half-price footlongs, and now "in-store" meat slicing.

While some of the methods seem to have worked for the chain, ditching pre-sliced meat and introducing automatic "in-store" meat slicing has not been taken well by the customers. As the brand switches from pre-sliced meat to in-store slicing, users have been sharing their views about the major steps on social media.

One user took to Twitter to share their disbelief through a memefied gif of sliced meat:

In response to a tweet by the fast food chain, a Twitter user asked what the chain would do with unsold batches of sliced meat every day.

Dissatisfied with the chain's decision to ditch the pre-sliced meat, one Twitter user said they wouldn't go to Subway anymore.

Another person shared that the brand will save more money as they won't have to throw out the already-sliced meat.

A Reddit user commented that the step will help the chain save more money compared to pre-sliced meat, but the in-store prepping will cost more labor.

Another user commented that the chain could do even better if it improved the quality of the meat and got rid of the smelly bun. The chain has long been a target of ridicule over the quality of its buns.

It would be too early to say if the "in-store" meat slicing can help change things for Subway. A clear picture of the same will be visible after the chain has followed the new serving process for some time. Everything aside, there's been a significant change in how the Connecticut-based fast-food restaurant chain has been preparing its sandwiches for the last few decades.

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Founded on August 28, 1965, by Fred DeLuca, Peter Buck, and Carmela DeLuca, Subway is an American multinational fast-food restaurant chain. Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, the fast-food restaurant chain has stores in over 36,821 locations worldwide. The fast-food restaurant chain has its business spread across 100 countries.

Specializing in submarine sandwiches called Subs, the fast food chain allows customers to choose their own toppings to enjoy a custom sandwich experience. The fast food chain offers an exhaustive menu, which includes - Submarine Sandwiches, Salads, Pizza, Cookies, Beverages, and much more.